Robust engine design helps Dragon reach orbit

However, during the launch, there was an anomaly. About 30 seconds into the video below, there appears to be something akin to an explosion in one of the Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines.

So what happened? According to the company:

Approximately one minute and 19 seconds into last night’s launch, the Falcon 9 rocket detected an anomaly on one first stage engine. Initial data suggests that one of the rocket’s nine Merlin engines, Engine 1, lost pressure suddenly and an engine shutdown command was issued immediately.

We know the engine did not explode, because we continued to receive data from it. Our review indicates that the fairing that protects the engine from aerodynamic loads ruptured due to the engine pressure release, and that none of Falcon 9’s other eight engines were impacted by this event.

As designed, the flight computer then recomputed a new ascent profile in real time to ensure Dragon’s entry into orbit for subsequent rendezvous and berthing with the ISS. This was achieved, and there was no effect on Dragon or the cargo resupply mission.

Like the Saturn V rocket that launched the Apollo missions to the moon, the Falcon 9 has some redundancy built into it. The rocket can lose one of its engines, known as an “engine out capability,” and still fly a normal mission.

Astronauts aboard the space station are expected to grab the Dragon craft on Wednesday. It will be the first official delivery mission accomplished by a private spaceflight company.

If this Dragon concept catches on, I can see where the Space Station will have to have a traffic director and some sort of parking/docking facility for several “deliveries” at one time.
Maybe an orbiting truck stop next to the station.

The ISS Program already carefully manages the visiting vehicles – Soyuz, Progress, ATV, HTV, and now Dragon and Cygnus (Orbital Sciences’ competing cargo vehicle). The traffic management is just done on the ground.

The Russian segment can already handle at least two Soyuz capsules and a Progress or ATV docking and that capacity will increase once they launch their MLM module.

Our own Node 2 can support two berthings from Cygnus, Dragon, or HTV and has a docking adapter for future commercial crew vehicles that was originally used by the Shuttle.